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Description of several New or Rare Plants which have lately 

 Flowered in the Neighbourhood of Edinburgh, chiefly in the 

 Royal Botanic Garden. By Dr Geaham, Prof, of Botany. 



Mar. 10. 1838. 

 Aristolochia saccata, Wallich. 



A. saccata ; volubilis ; foliis oblongis vel ovato-oblongis, acuminatis, in- 

 tegris, subtus raniisque villosis ; floribus lateralibus, racemosis ; peri- 

 anthio villoso, inflexo, medio ventricoso, limbo orbiculato angustissimo 



subrepando patentissimo, fauce maxima Wall. 



Aristolochia saccata, Wall. Plantae Rariores, 2. 2. t. 103 Ibid. Cata- 



logue of Indian Plants, No. 2707, a Bot. Mag. 3fi40. 



Description — Shrub volubile; stems very long, slender, branched; bark, 

 when old, corky. Leaves (12-15 inches long, 4 broad) scattered, ovato- 

 cordate, attenuated at the apex, slightly waved and sinuated, entire in 

 the edge.s, petiolate, when j'oung covered with brown hairs, which below 

 are silky, more dense, subappressed, and longer than those above, where 

 they are more erect ; the lea\'es when old are less hairy, rather by the 

 extension of the surface than by the hairs being deciduous ; middle rij 

 and primary veins prominent on both surfaces, transverse reticulations 

 only prominent behind. Racemes arising from the stem near its base, 

 where the leaves have dropped, and quite in the shade (even under the 

 table in the stove) several flowered, pendulous, like the petiole and young 

 branches densely covered with brown hairs, which are reflexed on the 

 last, but erecto-adpressed on the first two. Flowers membranous, covered 

 with spreading hairs, pendulous, tube turned upwards in the middle, the 

 reflected portion being parallel to and in contact with the other, yellow, 

 ish-white within and without, but having externally many nerves, smaller 

 transverse reticulations, and small glandular excrescences, all of a red 

 brick colour, contracted a little above its base, and below this, both with- 

 in and without, of a dirty red colour, and having spread over its inner 

 surface a covering of hairs singularly crystalline and ramified, forming a 

 large pouch where it is reflected, and in its erect portion again contract- 

 ed, flattened in front, and slightly clavate upwards, within this portion 

 minutely glandular, but without any hairs ; throat circular, placed ver- 

 tically, of bright yellow colour, with a narrow erect margin; limb nar- 

 row, before expansion folded in three triangular divisions across the 

 throat, when expanded flat and obscurely 3-lobed, on its upper (anterior) 

 surface dark purple, densely covered with erect warts of similar colour, 

 on its lower (posterior) surface similar to the outer surface of the tube. 

 Anthers six, yellow, 2-celled, bursting along the front, oblong, sessile 

 upon the short stout clavate style ; pollen yellow, granules nearly globu- 

 lar. Stigma of three acute connivent lobes, sending projections down- 

 Vards upon tlie style, so as to separate the stamens into pairs. Germen 

 inferior, slightly clavate, furrowed, densely covered with erect brown 

 hairs. Ovules very numerous, hcrizontal. 

 This curious plant is a native of Silhet, and was introduced into the Royal 

 Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, from the Calcutta Garden, in 1829. It 

 produced a succession of flowers in September last, but formed no fruit. 

 I did not perceive that exceedingly oflTensive smell for which Dr Wal- 

 lich, in the splendid work above quoted, says they are remarkable. 

 The ensnaring of insects by plants is observed in many cases, its use dis- 

 puted, sometimes I think misunderstood, and its benevolence in the ar- 

 rangement of nature considered equivocal. One thing is obvious, — it 

 demonstrates premeditation and design in the configuration of parts. 

 The large heavy pouch in the middle of the tube necessarily keeps the 

 flower pendulous, and its throat erect. Having removed from the plant 

 one of the racemes for examination, I laid this down on the table, and 



